


broad-shouldered beasts

by ninash



Series: the strongest sense [4]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Hale Fire, Derek Has Feelings, Derek gets his shit together, Empath Stiles Stilinski, Hurt Stiles, M/M, Married Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, POV Derek, Temporary Character Death, Young Derek Hale, Young Stiles Stilinski
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-07-11 14:12:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15973967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninash/pseuds/ninash
Summary: Derek really wished someone would have warned him about all that is Stiles Stilinski.(can be read as a stand alone but would make more sense if you’ve read the other parts first)





	broad-shouldered beasts

**Author's Note:**

> This is Derek's pov throughout the timeline of the other two. I do plan on writing another brief part of Selene's pov and at someone's request, another from Caleb's pov. Delving into where he was kidnapped and Stiles helped save him as well as a look into the future. If there are any other parts you guys would be interested in seeing drop a comment and I'll try and make it happen. Thanks.

Derek always knew there was _something_ off about Kate. He may have been sixteen and foolishly in love but he wasn’t that stupid. She would either smell like gunpowder or like nothing at all. Derek had brought it up one night when they were in her car. He had asked why she never smelled like anything. Kate had just smiled at him and changed the conversation.

The first time Derek meets Stiles he doesn’t even realize it. Kate had wanted to go for a walk and she had led him to the more sketchier part of town so that they wouldn’t be seen. There was a little kid walking on the sidewalk that Kate hadn’t seen and knocked into him. Derek can smell the blood from the kids scratched palms but Kate helps the kid up and apologizes. Derek can hear the boy's heart speed up when Kate grabs his hand. The boy's eyes go glassy and a second later he’s ripping his hand from Kates and staring up at her with wide eyes. Fear and confusion pour off the kid. Derek subtly rubs his nose and breathes through his mouth. Kate turns back to Derek and tugs at his arm as they keep walking. 

“Freak.” Kate mumbles under her breath. 

For the second time, Derek wonder’s who this woman really is. He can’t scent any of her emotions. 

Kate had bumped the kid and Derek glances back at where he had fallen on his butt. He stays sitting, his eyes downcast and unmoving. 

Two weeks go by and Kate keeps pushing him to talk more about his family. Asking weird questions like if they all lived at the house, even his aunts and uncles. How long they’ve been in BH and how many Hales were there. It’s a Saturday and he had just gotten home from a run through the preserve. There’s a fast uneven heartbeat in the living room that he can’t place. When he walks into the living room there’s a young kid sitting on his moms' lap. He looks familiar but Derek can’t place him. 

“Him. I saw him with her.” The kid croaks out. 

His mom is up and moving towards him. Derek takes a step back and tilts his neck slightly. 

“Derek.” Talia’s voice was grave and the corners of her eyes bled red. Derek flinches back and his brows pinched together. 

“Did you know?” She asks. 

“Know what?” Derek asks in a small voice. Looking from his mother to the kid who has his knees pulled up. Arms wrapped around his legs in the attempt to look small. 

“The woman you are seeing. She’s a hunter.” Talia growls out. She’s furious. Not with Derek. He’s sixteen and doesn’t know any better but at the situation. Not in her town. Not with her family. Not with her son. 

“What? No, she can’t be. That’s not-” Derek’s voice pitches high in confusion and he shakes his head rapidly. 

But it makes sense. Why she smelled like hints of gunpowder sometimes. Why other times he couldn’t smell her, because she was using scent blockers. All the weird questions about his family, she knew and she was out for blood. 

The kid starts freaking out, gagging and coughing. His dad sits close to him rubbing his back and whispering words of comfort. He falls into another coughing fit and his mom pulls his attention back. 

“Honey it’s okay, I am in no way mad or disappointed in you. You had no idea. I’m mad at myself for not realizing hunters were back in town.” His mom shakes her head and wraps Derek up in a tight hug. He breathes in his mother's scent, his alpha. Except he should have known. He did know something wasn’t right but he was too caught up in the idea of an older woman wanting him. 

“This is Stiles. He knows about us and we believe he may be an empath.” His mom starts gesturing to the boy who is slowly calming down. His uncle Peter mutters under his breath and stalks out of the living room. His mom walks back over to the couch and cups the boys face in an all to familiar gesture and thanks him. 

Derek runs from the room when he smells the salt from his mother's tears. 

Things don’t really get any better after that. Derek hates himself for what he almost caused. They always reassure him that none of it was his fault and they don’t blame him but it doesn’t help because Derek does blame himself. But time goes on and winter turns to spring and he starts up his daily runs through the forest again. 

That kid-Stiles, starts hanging around the house more often. His family warms up to him like a moth to a flame. He becomes Cora’s favorite because they are the same age and are in the same class. Derek never stays in the same room as the young empath. From what he’s learned from his uncle Stiles sense of smell is better than theirs when it comes to chemosignals. The boy doesn’t feel others emotions like a traditional empath but instead, he smells them. None of them are clear-cut but instead come to the empath in familiar scents. The clearest one Stiles has come to learn is happiness as citrus. Derek doesn’t want his family to worry any more than they already do so he avoids Stiles at all cost. Knowing the empath will sense his guilt and probably tell his family.

Derek hears the conversation his mom has with Peter and Olivia. The one about binding his powers. Derek hates the idea but stays where he is, leaning against the wall and continues to listen. When the three adults pause in their conversation that’s when he realized Stiles had been right outside the door. The kids' heartbeat and breathing go haywire as he runs form the house. It’s obvious the other had heard him but they continue talking. Peter ends up being the one to dissuade the binding of the kids' powers. Derek sighs in relief and an image of Stiles laughing flashes in his mind and his wolf curls up in comfort. 

Derek was so screwed. 

Cora comes home upset the next day and when they call them down for dinner she’d been crying. She yells at aunt Olivia for driving Stiles away and cries the rest of the night. Derek can relate to his little sister because he had trouble making friends when he was younger too. For Cora, it was easy to talk to the boy. He was in the know so she didn’t have to hide from him. Derek wonders if there’s anything he can do to fix things. 

 

It’s Thanksgiving break and Derek’s favorite time of year. He loves fall and the smells that fill the preserve. He’s not expecting the harsh scent of blood and a high pitched scream to hit him on his run. He detours and sprints towards the source. 

Stiles is standing stick straight, his head tilted down and staring at his feet. His breathing is fast and now that Derek is closer he can smell the salty tears. He is also assaulted by the sheer amount of pain the kid is in. 

Derek moves in closer, slowly, in hopes of not startling the boy. Stiles looks up sharply and his chest is still heaving from the sobs. Derek moves in front of Stiles and kneels down on the forest floor. Clearing away the leaves and seeing the bear claw biting into his ankle, fuck. It’s bad Derek can tell. There’s still a trickle of dark blood leaking from the highest point digging into the kid's leg. He stands back up and pulls his cell out of his pocket and punches in his mom's number. 

“It's gonna be okay Stiles.” Derek’s voice is deep and hoarse. 

His mom answers and he rushes through telling her what happened and where they were. She curses and tells him to try and keep Stiles calm and that she and Peter are on their way. 

“It's okay. Mom and Peter are on their way. You're gonna be fine.” Derek stands and takes Stiles shaky hand in his larger one. Black lines drawing up his arm and he sucks in a breath. A frown crosses his face as he tries to focus on taking the pain and not just dropping the kid's hand. 

Derek realizes he’s got a good foot on Stiles now. The kid is still small and lanky from what Derek remembers. There are tear stains streaking through the dirt on the kid's face and Derek is consumed with fear for the empath. 

“Derek. I can't feel my foot.” Stiles whispers looking down at the bear trap. 

“It's okay they're almost here.” Derek squeezes his hand and a rumble leaves his chest. He can hear his mom and uncle in the distance.

“Derek.” The kid whimpers and hunches his shoulders forward. His hands curl into the material of his jeans at his waist. Derek nods his head to himself. He won’t last much longer. 

“Stiles. Stiles listen to me. I'm gonna open the trap okay. Stiles, it's okay. I'm gonna get you out.” Derek kneels back down and cups Stiles' neck. His other hand gripping the kid's shoulder. Stiles nods, tears streaming down his face and his hands twitching. 

“I'm gonna pry the teeth back and you need to pull your foot out okay?” Derek keeps his eyes locked with Stiles, dropping his hands from the boy and placing them on the forest floor on either side of the trap. He hears sniffles above him. 

“Stiles. Do you trust me?” Derek tries to go for calm to hide how scared he still is. He’s only seventeen. The worst situation he’s ever been in was when Laura fell out of a tree last year and a broken branch had speared her side. But she was a werewolf, she healed 

“I trust you.” Stiles' voice is small and all too much of a reminder that the boy is only eleven. 

Derek gives him a smile and looks down at the trap. There's no way this isn't gonna hurt the younger boy. Derek nods to himself and wraps his hands around either side of the teeth as close to Stiles' leg as he can get. He tries to think through the situation.

“Brace yourself on my back.” Derek pats his shoulder keeping his eyes down on the trap. Stiles sniffles and nods his head. Bending at his waist, hands grabbing onto Derek's shoulders and squeezing. 

“On three.” Derek says adjusting his grip on the trap. 

“One.” Derek's grip tightens to white-knuckled. 

“Two.” He digs his shoes into the ground and tenses his arms.

“Three.” And pulls.

Stiles screams and falls back. The kid rolls out of the trap and onto his side. Fat tears are streaming down his face as he curls in on himself. He grabs at his shin above the injury as sobs pour from his chest. He groans and clenches his teeth together rolling onto his other side. He screams again. Derek doesn’t know what to do. He stares at the kid who is sobbing and bending his injured leg up in the air.

Just then his uncle and mother tear through the tree line. They rush to either of Stiles' side and start assessing the situation. His mom asks what happened and Derek stutters out that Stiles was panicked and he had to get the leg out. Peter pulls his long-sleeve shirt off and ties it around Stiles' leg. Who in turn screams again and chokes out to make it stop. Derek stays rooted in his spot, staring at the empath. 

“We need to get him to the hospital.” Peter follows it with a string of curses. His uncle lifts Stiles up and starts running back towards the house. His mom takes a step to follow before she turns back to Derek. She coaxes him out of his mind and together they race after his uncle. 

Derek stays seated in the waiting room as Stiles goes into surgery to repair the torn muscle. His mom and Peter stay in the waiting room with him. His mom only stepping away to call the sheriff to tell him what had happened. John Stilinski wraps Derek up and squeezes so hard it almost hurts. Whispering his thanks and gratitude. All four sit and wait for news on Stiles. The surgery takes a couple hours and a nurse named Melissa comes out and tells them the doctors are finishing up and that everything went well. The sheriff and his mom go when the doctor comes to take them to where Stiles is recovering. Peter steps out to call the pack and let them know what happened. Leaving Derek to his thoughts. Thoughts he runs through fast and then shakes his head to dismiss them. Things he’d rather not think about. 

Stiles ends up needing a second surgery because of his stupidity and when he and Cora go to visit things seem settled between Sites and his family. Cora is ecstatic and starts making plans for him to come over as she grabs a sharpie and starts doodling superwoman on his cast. Derek is looking at Stiles when he looks up at catches Derek’s eyes. The older holds his gaze and Stiles looks away first. A blush tinting his cheeks and ears that makes Derek smile. 

It takes longer for Stiles' leg to heal than usual because Stiles is a menace and refuses to just recover. He goes through two casts and a pair of crutches that he ends up breaking. How no one can figure out. After he’s finally healed and gets his cast taken off Cora insists on him coming over. When they eventually meet up Stiles natural scent is covered in something overly sweet like wildflowers and honey but twice as potent. 

Derek almost cries when he gets his acceptance letter from Columbia. He tells Laura first and she’s so happy for him. She’s quick to offer for him to live with her in New York. The rest of his family are happy for him as well. Peter tells him he thinks it’s a good idea, time away from the pack, to get his shit sorted out and stop blaming himself. He doesn’t agree but he also doesn’t disagree. 

His whole family sees him off, including Stiles. He almost hugs the kid but then thinks better of it. 

Derek stays away for four years. He goes to school and lives with Laura and he heals. Laura ends up talking him into going to see a therapist and it helps. He gets over Kate and the fire and he sees that he had no control of the situation. He still has bad days where he dreams about what would have happened had the fire actually happened. Laura is there with waffles and strawberries on those days. 

He meets new people and he even dates. None of the relationships last very long because of him never being able to tell them he’s a werewolf. He even tries to date a few fellow wolves from the local pack but something about it just never felt right to Derek. He finds himself thinking more about Stiles the closer it gets to graduation. Especially when he had gotten home a couple weeks ago to Cora on a skype call with Laura. Hearing the deeper voice that wasn’t familiar to him. He tries to subtly look at who the kid is that Laura is talking to but all he sees a blurred image as the kid jumps off the screen and yells to Cora that they’re gonna be late. Laura laughs and ends the call. 

“Who was that?” Derek asks as he grabs his textbook and sits down at the small kitchen table. 

“Friend of Cora’s.” Laura hums and starts looking up plane tickets back home. 

They make it home in time for Cora’s eighteenth birthday. Laura having already graduated two years before Derek but staying to be with her brother. 

They end up all gathered in the kitchen as their family asks about New York. His aunt Felicia coo’s over how tall Derek has gotten. They've been talking for about an hour before Laura stops mid-sentence and frowns.

“Where's uncle Peter?” She glances around for him. Tunes in her hearing to check the rest of the house but he's not there. Derek looks over at his mother who has a small smile and ever so slightly tilts her head towards the woods. 

“What time is it?” His aunt Shannon asks from where she's sitting at the table with a Jamie on her lap.

“Half-past four.” Laura glances at her watch while she answers.

“Oh, they should be back any moment.” Shannon perks up and stands from the stool she was sitting on and moves to the back sliding glass door. Derek looks over at Laura who looks equally as confused as he feels. They both move to look out the back door as well. 

They can just make out Peter's silhouette as he walks out of the tree line and what looks like a body slung over his shoulder. 

“What in the hell?” Laura mutters under her breathe as Shannon opens the door all the way. Peter nods at her and walks into the kitchen. The body slung over his shoulder is male and probably around the same height as Peter. Derek can’t see his face but his scent is familiar. His wolf curls up and hums inside his chest 

“Will you put me down now?” The kid sounds exasperated and honestly so done. Derek’s eyes shoot over to his sister when she snorts.

“If I put you down are you gonna take off?” His uncle asks glancing down the boys back. 

“No.” The kid mumbles and crosses his arms. 

His uncle bends at the knees and slings the kid up and off his shoulder. Dropping him into one of the kitchen chairs that was angled out and away from the table. 

“Goddammit Peter. Human, very breakable human.” The kid points at himself before he goes back to cradling his arm and rubbing his thumb across his elbow. Peter just scoffs at him and rolls his eyes. 

“What was it this time?” Derek looks over at his mother as she speaks. 

“Pixies.” Peters glare is more disgust than anything. “Slimy little bastards.” He hisses and shakes his head.

“Stiles.” Shannon scold's with an uptilt to her lips.

“They keep stealing my boxers!” Stiles yells, throwing his hands up and shaking his head. 

“That doesn't mean go and pick a fight with the whole hoard.” Peter’s tone is flat and bored. He shoves Stiles head in a playful way. 

Derek is majorly confused in that moment. His sister nudges his arm with the same confusing look in her eyes. They don’t know this kid but apparently his family knows him, he almost seems like pack. The way they act around him and him knowing about the supernatural. 

All of a sudden the kid starts to cough violently, beating on his chest to clear it out. His hand reaches up in the universal grabby gesture. Derek watches Peter grab a water bottle from the fridge and toss it at him.

“Wow who turned on the confusion?” The kid coughs again and clears his throat. Derek and Laura look at each other before turning back to stare at the boy incredulously. 

“Derek, honey, you remember Stiles don't you?” His mother waves a hand at the boy. Her smile is warm and genuine. 

The kid says ‘yo’ and salutes Derek with a cheeky grin. He sits the water bottle cap down on the table and stands from the chair. 

Derek's head jerks back in surprise. The last time he saw Stiles the boy was as thin as a stick with an unfortunate buzz cut. He's taller now, probably as tall as Derek himself. He's got on more layers than fingers and the chain of some type of necklace peeking out from his hoodie. The constellations on his face draw the eye because of how pale his skin has gotten in the colder months. Derek briefly realizes this was the kid he had heard over skype with his sister. 

“Stiles.” Derek still has a hard time conveying how he feels so when he speaks he means to go for a greeting but it sounds more annoyed than anything. His sister laughs. 

“We haven't met in person yet. I’m Laura.” Laura walks over to Stiles and sticks her hand out. Stiles stares at the appendage and purses his lips. Drawing his hand up across his chest to scratch at his collarbone. 

“Yeah, I don’t really do the whole physical contact thing with new people, but nice to meet you.” Stiles gives her a toothy grin to make up for it. Laura lets her hand drop and gives a sharp grin as well. At that moment it all comes back to Derek what Stiles is. Having forgotten he was the reason his family was spared from the fire. 

“Don’t want to intrude on your great familia reunion.” Stiles throws his hands up like he’s surrendering before he looks sharply at Peter. 

“You owe me a new pair of sneakers.” He hisses and points a finger at Peter, who hunches over laughing. 

“It’s so not funny.” Stiles pauses on ‘so’ and ‘funny’ so that the word not is punctuated. 

“Uncle Derek!” Little Stephanie yells as she barrels into the kitchen and into Derek's legs. 

“You’ve gotten so big!” Derek gushes as he swings Stephanie up into his arms and she rubs her cheek against his. He remembers her as a small toddler who was still struggling with words. She was shy and cried when they told her Derek was leaving.

Derek watches his aunt Olivia walk into the kitchen, with Caleb shuffling in behind her. Caleb has gotten bigger too. His hair is lighter than Derek remembers and he keeps his hands up near his face. Derek had heard from Peter that even as Caleb was growing up him being shy remained a constant. He was quiet and reserved, even around his family. Peter was still leaning against the counter by Laura, and Felicia was sitting at one of the stools at the counter, next to Shannon. Olivia tilts her head at Stiles as a form of acknowledgment then goes over to Shannon. Derek remembers them wanting to bind his powers and a flare of anger coils around his throat before he brushes it off.

Derek’s lips part in shock when his young cousin gives the whole room a cursory sweep with his eyes. Ghosting over both his parents and landing on Stiles, who is still standing next to the kitchen table. Caleb shuffles over to Stiles and reaches his hands up and Stiles leans down and scoops him up and settles him on his hip. Caleb’s arms go around Stiles' shoulders and he stares at Stiles.

“Hey buddy. How was school?” The empaths voice is soft and low. He sweeps a hand across the back of Caleb's neck and inhales. 

The kid looks at his uncle and taps the side of his head twice, before rubbing a hand up and down Caleb's back. Derek watches his uncle who apparently understands the gesture and no one is surprised when Stiles asks Caleb if he wants to go for a walk and leaves through the back door. 

“What was that?” His sister is the first to speak. 

They explain a little more about Stiles powers and how he can read Caleb's emotions. They talk about Caleb being kidnapped the year before and Derek clenches his fists tight. They reveal how Stiles had actually been the reason they had found his cousin so fast and that the empath had been the one to get him out, being injured in the process. His aunt talks about him being pack and Derek just knows it’s right. Peter chimes in about Stiles still learning to control his abilities and how to use them. Lincoln clears his throat and gives everyone a look. The back door opens, and Stiles walks in with smiling Caleb perched on his shoulders. 

“Hey Cal, have a fun time?” Felicia asks looking up at him. 

“We saw fairies mama.” The six-year-old gushes. He lifts up a large flower from behind Stiles' head and waves it in the air. 

“They gave me this.” 

“You okay Stiles?” His uncle asks walking over to the two. Derek’s eyes shoot to Stiles face where a distant look remains and his eyes go glassy.

“Take Cal.” The empath whispers. 

His uncle curses and grabs his son, giving him to Shannon who was the closes. Just in time to catch Stiles who passes out. The way Peter is holding the teen looks awkward and painful but Peter just breathes a sigh of relief at having caught him.

“What’s wrong with him?” Laura asks before Derek can. 

“Fae.” The alpha says with a flat tone. 

“Mom.” Derek urges her one. Peter lifts the empath up and leaves the kitchen. Going up the stairs. Talia clears her throat and begins to explain the situation to her children.

“Stiles has developed excellent control over his powers, but even he can’t be that strong all the time. Certain people and supernatural beings likewise, sometimes their emotions are so strong that Stiles becomes overwhelmed.” His mom starts to explain as she sets up to make a pot of tea. 

“Especially the fae.” Shannon speaks with a growl. 

“I thought we had a peace treaty with the fae in the preserve?” Laura asks, pulling the milk out of the fridge and handing it to their mother. Derek nods his head in agreement. 

“We do and it’s still a strong treaty.” Talia says between a sip of her tea and adding more sugar. 

“But just as they can not lie, we know that they are very good at masking their emotions. Stiles explained it as a glass that’s filled to the brim. All those emotions have to go somewhere. It’s an overflow, and when Stiles is around them that overflow goes right to him.” Shannon lets his cousin down who bumbles out of the kitchen. 

“I take it this has happened before?” Laura asks as Talia hands her back the milk and she puts it in the fridge. 

“Shannon and I were with him in the preserve when a group of them popped up out of nowhere. He was looking for a type of herb. It was for a spell he and Olivia were going to try. They said they could sense what he was and wanted to meet him. He passed out right after they went back to their court. I’m surprised he was able to walk him and Cal all the way back here.” Thea stands up with her son asleep on her shoulder and walks out of the kitchen. His uncle walks back into the kitchen, passing her. 

“How is he?” The alpha asks from where she’s now sitting at the kitchen table. 

“Out cold. He had a bad headache but I think I got rid of it.” Peter wiggles his fingers at his sister before he starts to make his own cup of tea.

“Good.” Talia gives a nod before she looks down and stares into her tea. 

Derek and Laura share a silent agreement to go ahead and get settled back in. Laura kisses their mothers cheeks before they both leave the kitchen and head upstairs. Laura unpacks, showers then passes out in her bed. Derek does the same except after he’s dressed from his shower he sits on the edge of his bed, something in him still restless. He watches the clock on his bedside table flicker to the next minute before he stands up and walks out of his room. The room across the hall to him used to be just an empty guest room last he remembered. But now the door is cracked open, and he can hear a fast heartbeat. 

The sun is just starting to set so the room is cast in soft oranges and warm sunlight from where it hits the walls. Stiles is sprawled out in the bed, the blankets pushed down to his waist and his tee shirt rucked up a bit. Derek’s eyes trace the moles peeking out from the bare strip before he carefully sits down on the corner of the bed. The kid's mouth is slightly open and his leg twitches every few breaths. When the sun sets lower the light is cast onto Stiles' face. Which makes him scrunch up and roll towards Derek. He rolls onto his side which causes his tee shirt to push up higher and Derek can see a scar stretched over his ribs. It’s still pink like it’s barely had time to heal. Must be the one he got saving his cousin. Stiles' face stays scrunched up and he groans. Derek reaches out and brushes his fingers over the spot between the empaths brows. Taking his pain from the returned headache. 

Another half an hour ticks by and the sun has set fully. His younger cousin sneaks into the room with his blanky clutched in his hand. He abruptly stops when he sees Derek sitting there. 

“Uncle Derek?” Caleb’s voice is soft and small like he knows he might wake Stiles. 

“Hey, Cal.” Derek gestures for the young wolf to come closer. 

Caleb stumbles forward, his feet get caught on his blanket. But he walks over to the bed and Derek pulls him up. Caleb crawls up to the head of the bed and curls into Stiles' side. The teen remains asleep as he throws an arm over the wolf and tugs him closer. Caleb snuffles at Stiles' neck before he settles down and falls asleep. Derek pulls the comforter over the two and stares for a moment. His wolf is settled and happy and so is the man. When he leaves the room he closes the door fully and climbs into his own bed, falling asleep within minutes.

Derek spends the next year home with Laura. He gets to know the empath that has become a permanent fixture in his home. Stiles turns eighteen and there’s a part of Derek that craves a deeper relationship with the boy but another part of him taunts him saying that he’s just like Kate. Stile’s already obvious attraction to the older wolf turns nuclear. He hits on Derek with every cliche pick up line known and keeps asking for a date. Derek always tells him no with a laugh. Maybe one day, but not now. But before Derek even realizes, he’s already falling in love with the empath. 

Things go to shit for Derek when the new monster of the week takes beacon by storm. None of them could figure out what the hell it was. They were finding dead omegas in the preserve. Bodies all shriveled up. Skin dry and brittle, sunken in and shrink-wrapped around their bones. The life sucked dry from them. The slightest bit of movement, and what's left of them turning to ash. 

Derek passes Siles in the hall as the sleep-deprived teen stumbles his way out of the library and upstairs. Going into his room and promptly passing out as soon as his head hits the pillow. Stiles ends up sleeping through the rest of the afternoon and well into the night. They decide not to wake him for dinner, because of how little sleep he’s gotten this week. His uncle checks in on the teen before he retires for the evening. 

Derek wakes abruptly a couple hours after he had fallen asleep. Something cold in his chest and worry flowing through his veins. He throws the covers off and opens his door, Stiles door is wide open and the bed is empty. He runs downstairs and the front door is wide open as well. He wakes up up everyone minus the kids. They all agree on Stiles disappearance being strange and they dress and head into the woods. They find his scent easily and track him deeper into the woods. 

“Those damn dogs. Can’t keep to themselves can they.” Derek hears in the distance. Picking up on Stiles heartbeat and a foreign one. 

“Stiles!” Derek yells as he runs faster towards the two. 

“No matter. They’ll be too late.” Derek hears the other man speak, ice runs through his veins when the strong coppery smell of blood floods his nose and he hears Stiles scream.

The pack comes out to a small alcove and Derek sees the man holding Stiles up, fangs buried into the empaths neck. He drops Stiles once he sees them. The vampire raves about the power flooding through his veins. Derek can’t see Stiles from where he and his family start fighting the vampire. 

“Go! Go find him!” Peter yells from where he has the vampire's arms pinned behind his back. Derek pauses just to make sure his family has it under control before he turns and sprints after the trail of blood. Hearing the bone cracking sound of a head being torn from a body and Peter laughing. 

He finds Stiles laid out on a large tree stump. There’s so much blood. Derek can’t help the, “Oh my god.” that slips out. There’s just too much blood.

“Stiles!” Derek yells. He kneels down on the stump next to Stiles and presses his hand against his neck. The bleeding seems to slow but Derek doesn’t take it as a good sign, not in this case. 

“Stiles come on, stay with me.” Derek urges. He sits down and pulls Stiles into his lap so that his upper body is braced against Derek’s right leg. 

“The pack.” The empath whispered. 

“They’re fine. They tore him to shreds. There’s nothing left of him but chunks. Peter’s laughing about it while they burn everything.” Derek chokes out a small laugh and tightens his hold on Stiles' neck. Even on the verge of death he still cares about the pack. 

Derek keeps his eyes on Stiles' face. The empath smiles and his teeth are covered in red, he attempts to nod his head but it’s more of a jerk than a nod. His skin is ghostly white now. Derek yells his name when Stiles’ eyes close. Yells for him to keep them open. Stiles mumbles something that Derek can’t make out and the teen's hand falls lip. Derek grows hysteric. He just needs Stiles to stay awake. 

“Stiles stay with me. I need you to stay awake. Tell you what? When you get better we’ll go for a date alright? You can stop hounding me. We’ll go to that dinner you like, the one with the curly fries. God knows you never stop raving about them.” Derek smiles through the tears. He sniffles and shifts his weight slightly. 

“S’okay.” Stiles’ smile is all teeth. But it’s not, it really isn’t. There’s so much Derek wanted to say. So much he wants to tell him. Stiles lets out a startled laugh before his entire body goes limp and Derek freezes.

Derek hears the moment the boy’s heart stops beating. It’s like a punch to the gut. He can’t breathe. Any warmth that still clung to Stiles skin washes away and Derek is left holding a pale corpse. Derek has more of Stiles blood soaked into his clothes than that of his own or the vampire. He stares down at the boy a moment. Derek doesn’t think it’s fair how peaceful he looks. Like he’s sleeping. His face relaxed and just the barest hint of a smile tugging at the one corner of his lips. It’s _not fair_ , Derek thinks. 

“I just got you.” The wolf whispers. 

He moves Stiles to lay back on the stump and stumbles back. A hand braces his back and his head whips around to see that it’s Peter. The older wolf has tears staining his cheeks, clean tracks amidst the dirt caked onto his face. Laura comes up behind the two, and Peter nudges him in her direction. Laura wraps him up and lets him cry on her shoulder. The rest of the Hales have made their way to the sight of the boy’s death. Most are in tears. Cora is on her knees in the dirt with her head on her knees, tears, and sobs wracking through her body. 

“What are we going to tell his father?” His mother whispers horrified. Her body shaking with unshed grief. Shannon stands next to his mother, tears streaking her face. 

“It shouldn’t have been him. This isn't fair.” His aunt hisses. 

Cora rocks back and tilts her head up and howls. Derek follows next, then Peter then the rest of the wolves all join in. They howl for what seems the rest of the night. They howl for the loss of a life. A loss of a loved one. The death of a pack member. Once most of them have seemingly calmed down Peter takes a step towards the stump to gather the body, when the unexpected happens.

Stiles gasps and his body arches up with the first breath of life. He falls back to the stump, but his chest is steadily rising and falling. 

Derek is the first on him. He trips onto the stump, werewolf grace be damned. He crowds over the boy and presses his ear against Stiles' chest, and a steady heart beats with life. 

“He’s alive.” Derek whispers as he sits up. A new batch of tears flowing down his cheeks, tears of relief. 

“What happened?” Stiles moans as he tries to sit up. Derek laughs and wraps the empath up in a hug.

They start dating after that. Finding out that it was probably the nemeton that brought Stiles back and restored peace to beacon hills seems far-fetched but things quiet down after Stiles had died. Stiles turns nineteen and Derek takes him up north for a camping trip. They spend more time in the tent than anything else but it’s perfect. Derek is so madly in love with the boy he never thought he could love someone so fiercely and so strong. They had gotten a small apartment downtown away from the Hale house for privacy's sake. It’s perfect really because Stiles is already pack and his family already loves him. It’s almost perfect. 

Derek knew it was a long time coming. They could never find time for each other and yes, it was as simple as that. 

“How about Tuesday night?” Derek stares at the calendar hanging on the front of the fridge. 

“I have dinner with my dad.” Stiles is scrubbing at a dinner plate in the sink. 

“You have classes on Wednesday and then I’m helping Laura and Tom move on Thursday. What about Friday?” Derek glances over at his boyfriend. Stiles sighs, not looking up from the sink. 

“I’m covering for Scott so he and Ally can go out.” Stiles shakes his head. Derek sees him freeze for a moment then his head jerks to look at Derek. Stiles drops a plate in the sink and it shatters, slicing his palm. 

“If you have something to say to me then just say it.” Stiles bites out with a deep frown. 

“What?” Derek turns to face him with an indifferent expression. His eyes flicker to Stiles hand that is bleeding. 

“Don’t. Don’t do that. Don’t shut me out.” Stiles points a finger at him. Soapy water running down his wrist and up his arm. 

“What do you want me to say Stiles?” Derek sighs and throws his hands up. He just doesn’t know anymore

“I want you to tell me what you’re feeling. I can’t read your mind.” Stiles clenches his jaw at the end and glances down at his throbbing hand. Derek’s jaw clenches.

“But you can.” Derek states matter of the fact and crosses his arms over his chest. 

“Is this what it’s really about? You’re mad I can always tell what your feeling? That you can’t hide from me? Wow, it must suck that someone can always tell when you’re lying.” Stiles mocks him and gestures wildly. 

“No, this isn’t about your powers or my abilities. It’s about us. It’s about you covering for Scott so that he and Allison can go out when we haven't gone out on a date in weeks.” Derek growls and points a finger at Stiles. 

“This isn’t about Scott and you know it!” Stiles yells and slams his hand down on the table. Derek can smell the pain from the empath lace through the air. 

“Fuck, Stiles! I don’t know what you want me to say!” Derek yells back. His words growled out through clenched teeth. He won’t look at the empath. 

“It’s about my powers. It’s always about my powers. You hated what I could do and who I was since I was ten years old and spoiled your little love affair with Kate.” Stiles has never voiced his insecurities like this before. Derek freezes at the admission. Realizing that these were Stiles insecurities and just how wrong he was. 

“Stiles, you saved my families lives! How could I hate you for that?” Derek shakes his head, all the anger gone from his voice. His brows scrunched up in confusion. 

“Because I ruined your life. And now I’m ruining us.” Stiles has tears running down his face now. He reaches up to wipe them away and smears blood across his face. 

“No you’re not.” Derek speaks softly. He grabs the dish towel from the table and presses it to Stiles' hand. Then cups his boyfriend's cheek. 

“I ruin everything.” Stiles sniffles and stares down at the floor. There are drops of blood on the wood and puddles of soapy water. 

Derek hums as he wraps his arms around Stiles' waist. His head resting in the crook of the smaller boys neck. Derek inhales and takes in all that is Stiles. His natural scent tinged with chemicals from the adderall medication he still takes. Everything that makes him the love of his life. 

They weren’t perfect after the fight. Far from it. Derek now knew some of the things Stiles kept bottled up and he knew they both would have to put more effort into their relationship. They knew that they would get through it though. 

Danger rears its ugly head again right after Derek knows that Stiles is the one and he wants to spend the rest of his life with the dorky empath. They called it a Nogitsune, a demon that fed off of fear, chaos, and strife. 

It used Stiles like a human wrecking ball. Working its way through their hometown, hurting their friends, killing innocent people, almost getting Allison killed. Stabbing Scott. Derek and his family had worked with a shaman from Brazil that Cora knew from her travels. 

When they finally dig Stiles out, when they separate him from the fox spirit, it’s like everything hits him at once. Derek and Scott are standing near him. Stiles isn’t breathing, holding his breath. There are lines of blood trailing down his cheeks from his eyes. He takes a short stuttered breath and then passes out. 

Derek spends most of his time over the next week in the hospital, camped out next to Stiles bed. They have an oxygen lead tucked under his nose and an IV hooked to his arm. A couple of wires attached to his chest and fingers. It’s a scary site Derek admits. After the first three days of Stiles not waking up the doctors confirmed he was in a coma. He could wake up within the hour or years from now. It's eye-opening and Derek spends hours online ring shopping. 

When Stiles finally does wake up things don’t go back to the way they were. He has to go through a few days of physical therapy because of the coma and from the damage the nogitsune caused on his body. They have to hire a private PT because Stiles can’t step foot into another hospital or rehab center. It’s like someone hit the reset on his powers. 

Derek spends the next month living back in his childhood home. His boyfriend locks himself away in their apartment and refuses to see anyone. Laura takes him fruit baskets because it makes her feel useful. They at least know he’s eating. 

Another week goes by before Derek can't take it anymore. His wolf growing anxious and restless to see the boy. Derek tries knocking and asking softly for Stiles to open the door. When he’s met with silence he quite literally busts the door down. Stiles falls into a sneezing fit and his eyes water up from being overwhelmed with Derek's emotions. Derek crowds him onto the couch and wraps him up in a tight hug. They talk through Stiles’ fear, of relearning to use his powers and such. About him not being able to remember everything from the nogitsune, the holes in his memories. Derek promises him that he’ll always be there because at that moment it feels like all he can do. 

Derek spends a lot of time looking for a ring and planning out the proposal. Laura and Shannon help him plan it to the very last detail but things always end up going wrong. The first time is all Laura’s fault and he doesn’t talk to her for a week because she almost blew it before he even had the ring. Then Derek takes the fault. He had stupidly left his laptop open, an email about the ring clearly displayed. Stiles had thought it had to do with his work, thank the heavens, but he was more careful after that. Then Peter happened. 

Derek had the ring shipped to the Hale house so Stiles wouldn’t have seen it. Laura had called him to tell him it had arrived and he rushed over. Only to find the box open and the ring on Peter’s finger. Laura was laughing, bent over the counter because the ring was stuck on his uncle's fat finger. They were at it for a half an hour before Shannon joined in on trying to help get it off, Cora was sitting at the island watching them. Then Stiles walked in. 

“Whatcha guys doing?” Stiles asked, obviously trying not to laugh at the sight all of them made. 

Derek slowly turned his head to look at Peter, who still looked like a deer in headlights, and glared hard at his uncle. Stiles laughed and coughed a bit on the emotions Derek was projecting.

“Damn Peter, what’d you do?” Stiles grabs a water bottle from the fridge and takes a swig. 

Derek sighs and looks utterly defeated and Cora takes her phone out and starts recording. Laura’s face is turning purple from how hard she’s trying not to laugh and Shannon is still trying to work the ring off of Peter’s finger. Derek walks over to Stiles and takes his hand in his. He realizes he has to do it now. 

“This so isn’t how I wanted to do this.” Derek sighs again and looks heavenward for a second. He thinks about not doing it, about just lying and proposing the way he really wanted to. 

“Do what?” Stiles looks over at his aunt then back at Derek. 

“I know we didn’t have the best of meetings. I hated you for the greater part of knowing each other, and it pretty much took you dying and coming back to life for me to realize my true feelings for you. But you saved my family, and I love you so much.” Derek starts and locks eyes with his boyfriend. Trying to convey just how much he really cares for the empath. He wonders if Stiles can sense it better than the words Derek is saying. He wishes it was easier to tell him his feeling. 

“I love you too Derek, what’s going on?” Stiles is frowning. 

“I had this all planned out. I was going to take you up to the mountains where we went camping and there were going to be candles involved and it was going to be perfect.” Derek continues and ignores Stiles question. Damn his uncle for ruining this. 

“Babe?” Stiles squeezes Derek’s hand and urges him on. Derek knows Stiles is worried, they usually don’t use pet names. 

“I’ve loved you since you were seventeen and I was twenty-one. I’ll love you for the rest of my life. Stiles what I’m trying to say is-” Right as Derek is about to kneel his aunt yells in triumph and is holding to ring up in the air. Peter’s on the ground holding his hand to his chest and hissing. Good, Derek thinks with a small smirk. 

Derek laughs and drops down onto one knee. This wasn’t perfect, wasn’t what he had planned but in the end, it wouldn’t matter because it was still Stiles. 

“Stiles, will you marry me?” Derek asks with a wide grin and just a bare hint of tears in the corner of his eyes. He catches the silver ring Shannon tosses at him and it almost slips out of his hand from all the oil. He laughs again at the situation before he holds the ring up at his boyfriend. Stiles jaw is on the floor and his eyes are welling up with tears. 

“Holy shit.” The empath whispers. The hand not being held by Derek creeps up to cover his mouth and he whispers the profanity again. 

“Yes! Oh my god, yes!” Stiles yells with tears freely rolling down his cheeks. Derek stands up and wraps Stiles up in a tight hug. He pulls back and slips the ring on his finger. Stiles’ laugh is watery and he wipes at his eyes and holds his hand close to his face to get a good look at the ring. Both of their hands now covered in oil but it’s just so perfect that tears prick in the corner of Derek's eyes. 

They have the wedding three months later, at the end of August. 

The ceremony is small and held in a large clearing in the preserve. The entire Hale family is present, even a very pregnant Laura who complains about the heat during the hours leading up to the ceremony. Stiles friends from high school all make it back time for the wedding and Derek knows that’s a big thing for his fiance. They have the reception back at the Hale house. People in the house and out in the backyard. Kids running around and playing. Derek loves every moment of it and he knows Stiles feels the same. They make small talk amongst the guest. Eventually, Derek steals away his now husband for a slow dance out on the small floor. 

“How does it feel to be a Hale?” Derek asks as he slowly dips Stiles and brings him back up. 

“How does it feel to be a Stilinski?” Stiles asks between light kisses. Derek throws his head back and laughs. It feels fucking perfect.

“Do you mind if I steal your new groom away for a moment?” His aunt Olivia asks with a smile. Derek nods and goes over to where his cousin Jamie is on his tippy toes, reaching for a plate of brownies. 

Derek glances back at the two and hears his aunt ask if they can go for a walk and Stiles acceptance. He knows things can still be stressed between them because of what happened when they were younger. Derek loses them once they enter the preserve and he continues to mingle amongst everyone. He finds his mom with tears in her eyes and she squeezes him so hard it almost hurts. 

“I’m so happy for the two of you.” She whispers in his ear and cups his cheek when she pulls away. 

“Thanks, mom.” He laughs and continues his rounds. 

He finds his aunt Olivia out on the dance floor with her wife and his brows creased in confusion. Hadn’t she and Stiles went into the forest? Derek starts walking over to her when he catches Stiles scent fresh in the line of trees. He veers off and meets his husband right as he comes out of the woods. Stiles chemosignals are a little off-putting so he greats the other with a kiss and he can taste the salt from his tears. 

“What’s wrong?” Derek asks as he curls his arm around Stiles’ hip. 

“Nothing.” Stiles smiles and kisses him. “Absolutely nothing.” 

They walk back towards where the rest of the guests are, hands clasped between them. Derek picks up on the too sweet scent of honey and wildflowers lingering around Stiles. Something tickles the back of his mind. Like he’s smelled it before but it’s been so long he can’t place it. He tries to think back, trying to place the scent and what it has to do with Stiles. He gets distracted when Stephanie yells for Stiles to come dance with her. 

“I’m coming!” Stiles laughs and drops Derek's hand and heads towards his cousin. 

Derek smiles after them and his eyes sweep over the backyard. He takes a deep breath in and if he smiled any wider it would hurt. The yard is filled with happiness and softness. Everyone they care about is there and there’s so much love. Derek remembers a time where he thought he’d never have this, would never deserve this. There are things he regrets and wishes he could take back. But when Stiles turns and calls out his name, waving his hand. The silver band catches in the sunlight and glints. Derek laughs and nods his head calling out that he’s coming. 

He wouldn’t change this for the world. 

 

_Fin_


End file.
